Engraved on my Heart
by MysteriousZebra
Summary: Bropez ficlet. He's loved her since he first laid eyes on her. Could a childhood tradition bring them closer together or tear them further apart?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey so this is a little Bropez ficlet. A couple of people asked me would I do one so I hope you enjoy this. It is in no way connected to my other stories. I might do another chapter or two, I'm not sure yet. Hope you enjoy and please review to let me know what you thin Also if anyone has any other prompts let me kno love you all x x **

Lauren breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped out into the chilly night air. The high-pitched shrieks of laughter and the steady beat of the music were cut off as she slid the patio door shut behind her and savoured the sudden serenity of the garden.

It seemed as though the entire U of M theatre department was packed into Brian's family home, which he'd offered up as a venue for Darren and Joe's surprise party. Lauren couldn't believe his parents had been so relaxed about letting a crazed bunch of college students run rampant in their house, but she supposed Brian's laid back nature had to come from somewhere.

She shivered slightly and rubbed the sides of her arms ferociously, trying to stay warm. Looking around, her eyes fell on an old rusted swing-set. She began to walk away from the security of the light that shone out through the glass door, and towards the shadow-hidden end of the garden, curiosity getting the better of her. Her foot squelched as she stepped on to the lawn and she felt her heels sink slightly into the ground as she applied more pressure.

She wandered down towards the end wall and smiled as she saw the dark outline of a tree house in the upper branches of a large oak, whose broad trunk was easily over a metre in width. Lauren scurried over and grabbed hold of the rope ladder that hung down. She kicked off her heels and began to climb.

The rope was old and frayed and she could feel her hands beginning to get raw and irritated as she neared the gaping hole in the floor of the tree house. On reaching the top she pulled her body through the hole and looked around her. The floor space itself was empty, save for a few old sweet wrappers and a faded blanket. The walls, which glowed white in the moonlight, were plastered with posters and DC comic strips. One wall however was completely bare and it was only as she crawled nearer to it that she saw it was engraved with initials….a lot of them.

"B.H + A.K…. B.H + E.R, she read aloud quietly. Her eyes scanned the surface of the wall and she felt like she was reading a timeline. Some were obviously written in the hand of a child, while others looked as though they'd been written more recent - although his untidy scrawl hadn't improved much in the last 14 years.

"Someone was a lady's man."

* * *

Brian poked his head around the kitchen door and frowned in confusion when he saw she wasn't in there. He'd searched the entire house and still, there was no sign of her. He returned to the living room where a few of the guys were playing the x-box,

"Hey guys, have you seen Lopez?"

Dylan turned and looked around him as if expecting to see Lauren standing right beside him. Brian sighed in exasperation and ran his hand through his messy brown hair.

"No man, not since the game of twister."

"I think I saw her go outside about a half hour ago," Darren chipped in, putting his games consoler down and rushing off towards the bathroom.

Brian nodded and left them to their game. Closing the patio door behind him, he searched the darkness for her small figure. Shoving his hands into his jeans pockets, he strolled down towards the end of the garden. His face broke into a smile as his eyes landed on a pair of red heels that had been left abandoned by the base of the old oak tree. It was strange how someone so small was always drawn to places up so high. He scaled the tattered rope ladder effortlessly and peaked his head through the hole.

His face softened when he saw her familiar silhouette, sitting up cross-legged. Her back was to him as she looked out the glassless window. She was lost in her own world and seemed oblivious to his presence. He climbed through the hole and edged nearer to her as silently as he could.

He couldn't help but stare at her, transfixed by her beauty... but he could never have her. She was like the forbidden fruit. Always there, pulling him in. Lauren and Joe had been dating on and off for the past two years and even though they weren't together at the moment, he knew there were still feelings between the two. _Plus you know she sees you as a friend, nothing more, _he constantly reminded himself.

He snuck right up behind her and whispered in her ear,

"You know this tree house is haunted?"

Lauren's breath caught and she jumped, his warm breath tickling her ear. However her face relaxed into a smile when she saw it was Brian and she hit him playfully across the arm.

"You scared the shit out of me!"

Brian laughed and sat down beside her. "Look how beautiful the moon looks tonight," she whispered, pointing up at the silver orb that hung amongst the stars. He looked down at her and felt his stomach flutter nervously. The moonlight cast a pale glow on her face and her eyes sparkled as she gazed wide-eyed up at the night sky. Her waved brown hair fell perfectly around her face and Brian found it impossible to tear his eyes away.

Why was he doing this to himself? Instead of allowing his feelings to fade, he found himself falling for her more and more. He knew he acted like an asshole around her sometimes, constantly making sarcastic comments and taunting her, but it was the only way he felt he could hide how he really felt. Tonight felt different though, it was almost like he no longer had the energy to hide.

Lauren turned her head towards him and he quickly averted his eyes, hoping she hadn't noticed. If she had she pretended otherwise,

"You're very quiet," she observed, "what's up?"

"Nothing, just thinking," he replied.

They stayed in a comfortable silence for a while before Lauren spoke again,

"It's hard to believe we've all only known each other little over two years, isn't it? We're like a family."

Brian remained silent, allowing her to continue, "I remember the first day I met everyone… except for Jim because I was pretty drunk when I met him for the first time... I remember I saw you in that two-man show with Nick at the Holiday Club. You called me up on stage and I was so embarrassed!"

Brian chuckled at the memory. Her face had gone bright red as he had grabbed her hand and pulled her up beside him. He would never forget seeing her for the first time. She was one of those people who gave off an aura that makes you just want to know them.

"Oh ya, you were the girl in the sparkly top who looked sassy as hell."

She rolled her eyes, but he knew she was only messing.

"Then later that night you were at Dylan's party and you challenged me to a game of Guitar Hero… which I still think you cheated at!" Lauren reminisced.

"That was an awesome party," Brian recalled wistfully, "and I did not cheat… you just really suck at that game. You were so angry when you lost that called me a butthole. Then you started laughing your tipsy head off when you realised my initials were B-Hole."

She rested her head on his shoulder and he could feel her body vibrating slightly as she laughed a little at the memory. She closed her eyes and let out a content sigh. Her long lashes rested delicately like crescent moons on her cheek bones. She shivered slightly and Brian wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her in close to him. He rested his chin on her hair and smelt the familiar scent of her coconut shampoo.

"Bri?"

Her eyes were still closed and he mumbled a response, acknowledging her.

"That's a lot of initials on that wall over there. How old were you when you did those?"

Brian lifted his head and looked over at the wall which, as she had pointed out, was covered with markings. Reluctantly he pulled away from her and her brown eyes fluttered open in surprise. He took her small hand in his and pulled her over towards the engravings.

"This one here," he said, pointing at a particularly faded one, "I did this when I was eight. Annie Kavannagh was her name. She was my first crush. I remember I bought her a 24 pack of markers for Valentines day- the scented ones- and she broke my heart when she told me that another boy had bought her the 32 pack."

"Aw, if a boy had bought me markers when I was eight, I'm pretty sure I would have married him. Why are some of them in a heart and others not?" Lauren asked quietly as she traced the heart around a certain B.H + G.T.

"The ones with a heart around them are the ones that actually developed into something."

"Oh," Lauren breathed as her eyes landed on a pair of initials down at the very bottom. There was the beginning of a heart engraving around them, but it wasn't complete.

"B.H + L.L," she read quietly. She turned her head expectantly when Brian didn't respond and her mahogany eyes met his blue-grey ones.

"That one's still pending," he replied softly, looking straight at her.

She started to lean in towards him and he felt his stomach doing flips inside him as he finally felt her soft lips touch his. He responded, tenderly kissing her back. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his chest as the kiss deepened. She opened her mouth slightly, inviting him in. She fit into him perfectly and he found himself lying back slowly on to the wooden floor, pulling her down with him.

His head was screaming at him that this was wrong while his heart had finally satisfied it's hunger. But no, he shouldn't be doing this, Joe would never forgive him. No... he couldn't do it. Suddenly Brian pulled away from her and sat up. He buried his head in his hands and squeezed his eyes shut, unable to look at her.

"What?...Why?" Lauren stuttered, her eyes watering slightly as she still lay on the floor behind him. He stayed silent unable to fully understand his own actions, let alone explain them to someone else.

"I'm sorry," she choked, as he heard her getting up to leave.

"What? No," Brian's head whipped up and he leaped up in front of her, blocking her exit. Her head was bent but he could see droplets of tears hitting the wooden floor, falling from her hidden face. He placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head to look at him. The confusion and hurt were evident in her eyes and he felt his heart contract with guilt.

"Lo look at me. Don't be sorry…. I should be the one apologising. I…I love you," he blurted out, "I have since the day we first met, but I couldn't, and still can't do anything because…"

"Joe," she interrupted, understanding.

Brain nodded, "he's one of my best mates," he explained distressed.

Lauren wiped her eyes and looked down at the initials by her leg, "why do our initials have an unfinished heart around them?"

Brain followed her gaze, "because I knew it was more than just a crush and I didn't want to give up hope, whether you were with Walker or not."

"Brian, Joe and I are not together anymore," she said, finally looking him in the eye.

Brian shook his head, "but you still have feelings for each other… I can't... I won't"

Lauren took his face in her hands and stroked his cheek with her thumb. Tears were silently flowing down her cheeks and Brian felt a pang in his chest knowing that it was his fault.

"Brian? Lo? You guys out here? We're playing a game of truth and dare. Get your ass's in here!"

They heard Joe's husky voice shout up at them from the door of the house.

"We're coming," Brian called back, as he gently removed Lauren's hands from his face.

She let her arms fall to her side and she brushed past him towards the ladder to climb down.

"I love you too B-Hole."

It was hardly a whisper, but he heard it, before she disappeared down the hole. He crouched down in front of their initials. When he made them the Summer after he'd met her, he'd never thought that he'd be the reason it wouldn't happen. He picked up the stone that had been left under the old blanket since he was eight years old and applied its pressure on to the wood.

He stepped back when he'd completed it and stared at the now complete heart. He'd waited so long for the day when he would be able to do that, but never had he considered that it might end before it had even begun.

He climbed down the rope ladder, the stone still in his hand. When he reached the ground he began to walk back towards the light of the house. Outside the patio door, he stopped and held the stone out in front of him. He turned around and mustering up all of his strength, he hurled the stone out into the back of the huge garden allowing the darkness to swallow it up.

No one else would ever compare to her. She was forever engraved on his heart.

**Thanks sweeties x x x**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey thank you much for the kind words I recieved for this. I wouldn't normally write Bropez but someone requested it and this story was born. So if you do have any requests or prompts send them my way. I can't promise I'll get them done quickly but you never know. Ok so there'll be one short chapter after this one to wrap things up. Hope you like thi thank you and please review if you ca **

Brian cursed silently as he stubbed his toe on the corner of the sofa while trying to weave around the sleeping bodies that littered the living room floor. The late hours of the night had finally caught up with people and the house was now still and silent.

He needed to get out, even just for a little while to clear his head. Throwing away that stone should have been liberating, it should have symbolised the strength to move on… but it didn't. If anything it seemed as though he was lost in hazy fog of feelings with no escape. He thought back to earlier that night…

"_Ok ok I pick…. Walker," Meredith giggled, "Truth or Dare?"_

_Joe hesitated for a second. His words slurred slightly into one another due to the effects of the alcohol,_

"_I pick…Truth."_

"_Aww I had such a good dare! Anyways, let me think," Meredith pondered before facing Joe, "Ok ok I have it…who was your first? And when?"_

_Joe looked thoughtful, "Ok, her name was Rebecca. We started going out the end of senior year and it was that summer before we left for college that we did it… man, she was hot! She was also a bit of a bitch but her hotness made up for it."_

_Brian looked across the circle and saw Lauren staring down at the floor and picking absent-mindedly with the carpet fibres. _

"_That is perhaps the most jerk ass thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth," Julia reprimanded jokingly._

"_I was young and blinded by my need for sex," Joe defended himself with a cheeky smile on his face. Julia rolled her eyes but it was more in jest than annoyance._

_Brian noticed Lauren get up and watched her slip out to the bathroom. He could have sworn he saw a tear roll down her cheek from the corner of her eye, but when he looked again it was gone._

He left out a deep sigh as he thought about her. He should have followed her to see if she was alright, but he wasn't sure he would be able to hold himself back if they kissed again. The few golden minutes that she'd been his had come and gone and if possible he only wanted her even more. It wasn't fair.

Brian opened the front door slowly and stepped outside, making sure to close it as quietly as possible behind him. However as he turned around he stopped. Sitting on the top porch step was a girl he'd recognise anywhere,

"Lolo?"

She spun around and Brian saw her quickly wipe away tears from her face with the back of her hand. He could see her shivering and immediately shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it tenderly around her shoulders,

"Thanks Bri," she sniffed, flashing him a sad smile of gratitude as she pulled it tighter around herself and put her arms through the sleeves.

Brian crouched down on the step next to her. He didn't say anything - He knew her well enough to know that when she was ready she would speak.

"Joe and I started going out September of freshman year," she began," I couldn't believe how lucky I was. He was hot, he was funny and he liked me. Then a few weeks in to our relationship I started seeing these signs that there was another girl, but I pushed them to the back of my mind because… because he could have had any girl he wanted, but he picked me. In some strange way I felt beautiful… for the first time in my life."

She paused taking a deep breath and Brian saw a fresh stream of tears begin to fall, while she fiddled with the cuffs of his jacket.

"Eventually I confided in Julia. At this stage I was almost certain he was seeing someone else and I didn't know what to do."

Brian heard her choke back a sob before she continued, "Julia told me to confront him, so I did…and even though I had known for ages, it still tore me apart to hear him admit it."

She paused and Brian understood the need for him to remain silent. Her voice dropped into a barely audible whisper and Brian had to lean in towards her to hear what she was saying, "He told me he loved me and that he'd broken it off with her, that he only wanted me…"

She turned to face him and Brian noticed how defeated she looked. It shocked him to see someone who was normally so effervescent and cheerful become this broken shell. He felt guilty, knowing that he was part of the reason for her pain.

"I… I believed him and we stayed together. The other girl was Rebecca and hearing him say that he was only with her because she was hot makes me feel so stupid. I feel like our entire relationship was a lie, that it meant nothing to him. I was just there as substitute sex when she wasn't around."

Her voice was now rising in hysteria and Brian wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. She needed it. He sighed to himself as the realisation hit. Lauren was crying over Joe, not him. She obviously still had feelings for Joe and any reconsiderations Brian had been having suddenly seemed impossible..

"Lauren you were not a substitute! Joe was a jerk, but you changed him. Every time you guys broke up, he was a mess and as much as I want to punch Joe right now, I think he really did love you."

Lauren pulled back from him; her big brown eyes were shining as she looked directly into his blue ones, her story was not yet over,

"You need to understand Brian…I finally got over him," she whispered as she leaned in towards him.

"No Lo, you didn't," Brian spoke gently wiping a tear from her face. He wanted her so bad but to take her like this was wrong, "Nobody cries that many tears over a guy that they have no feelings for."

"No they don't," she agreed," I might be over Joe, but I'm not over you."

Brian let the words settle and stared at her.

"When you kissed me tonight, it felt …different. It made sense and then you said we couldn't be together because of Joe."

Brian tried to see where this was going but his mind seemed unable to process thoughts. She was so close to him that he could feel her soft breath on his face.

"During the game of Truth and Dare it finally hit me that the insecure girl that I'd been freshman year, was still there. I realised that although I wasn't with Joe because he was good-looking, I was with him because I felt like I needed to hear someone tell me they loved me. Joe did that and I was afraid that no one else would. I want to be with you Brian and I'm scared that I've ruined …."

Lauren was cut off as Brian closed the short distance between them and kissed her. It was spontaneous, it was tender, it was perfect and it was short lived. Brian felt himself ripped away from her.

He could hear Lauren scream as he felt a large fist connect with his face. As he staggered back, he felt a warm stream of blood flowing from his nose and he could taste the salty taste of it in his mouth. He looked up to see a furious looking Joe glowering at him. If looks could kill, Brian would already be in a coffin 6 feet under.

"You f**king asshole," Joe roared lunging at him again but this time Brian was prepared and he managed to dodge Joe's swinging fist. Joe now stood between him and Lauren, blocking her from view.

"You're a coward Brian." Joe growled," You can't just kiss my girlfriend, I thought we were friends."

"You and Lauren broke up Joe," Brian responded calmly.

Joe took a deliberate step towards him and out of nowhere Brian saw Lauren jump in in front of Joe. She put her hands on his chest and gripped his t-shirt in tiny fists,

"Joe stop this, we're over."

She looked so small up against Joe and Brian felt true fear wash over him. Joe was seething with fury and he hardly batted an eyelid at Lauren's feeble attempts to hold him back. Joe could beat him up if he wanted, but he wasn't going to let Lauren get caught in the crossfire.

"Lo," he croaked taking a step towards her. Joe's eyes bulged wide with rage and he surged at Brian, seeming to forget the small body that stood between them. Lauren was shoved aggressively to the side and as Brian felt the full force of Joe's body crash into him, he heard a sickening crack as Lauren hit the concrete ground.

He felt a rush of adrenaline surge through him and shoved Joe off. Joe grabbed his arm but let go as he followed Brian's gaze which was fixated on the petite girl on the on the ground. Brian rushed over to Lauren and released a breath of relief as he saw her sitting up slowly.

"Loz, are you ok?"

Brian spun around and glared at Joe, "Oh, now you decide to consider Lauren in all of this."

Brian saw Meredith, Darren, Joey and Jaime standing in the doorway. He hadn't noticed them appear. Joe avoided Brian's eyes and he looked past him at Lauren, who was sitting up cradling her arm.

"Brian I think my wrist is broken," she whispered quietly, "could you please take me to a hospital?"

He glanced down a her arm and saw that dark bruises were already beginning to appear under the skin and her hand hung limp.

"Of course I will," he replied softly helping her up. He led her over to the car and sat her in on the passenger side. Jaime and Joey followed them over, offering words to comfort to Lauren. As he went to close the door Joe suddenly jumped between the car door and Lauren. Brian bit his lip to prevent him saying something he'd regret and allowed Joe kneel beside Lauren.

"Here put this on it, it'll help with the pain and prevent swelling," he gasped, carefully placing an ice pack on her wrist.

"Ok," her voice was quiet and detached as she placed her good hand on top of the ice pack, readjusting it slightly.

"Lauren I'm so sorry," Joe sobbed placing a hand on her shoulder. She seemed frozen in the car chair and made no apparent response to Joes touch. Joe stepped back from her and ran his hands through his hair. She didn't look up at him and Brian closed the car door with a resounding bang in the still night air.

"Tell her I'm sorry Brian," Joe begged. Brian almost felt bad as he watched Joe break down in front of him. Joe always had been over protective.

"Lauren won't hold this against you Joe, you know that."

Joe looked up as Brian spoke, "I know."

As he sat in behind the wheel Brian looked over at Lauren and noticed she still had his jacket draped around her. There were no tears but her face was pale white and it was clear she was in pain, both emotionally and physically.

Brian placed his hand on her knee reassuringly, "Everything will sort itself out, don't worry." She nodded however Brian sensed she was as unsure as he was. He put his foot to the pedal and within minutes they were pulling up outside the hospital.

She leaned against him as they entered. He spotted a cluster of wheelchairs by the reception desk and pulled one out.

"I'm not dying Bri," Lauren laughed shakily.

Brian smiled and pushed it back in, "Ok but you look fit to collapse so it's either wheelchair or waiting room."

He guided her over towards a row of plastic chairs that were in front of reception before filling out some paper work at the desk. He had barely sat down, when her name was called by a friendly looking nurse with cropped auburn hair.

They got up together and Brian placed a supportive hand on her lower back and guided her over,

"I'm sorry sir, we can't allow you to come to x-ray. We'll inform you as soon as we're done. While you're waiting I would suggest you get that nose checked," the nurse spoke indicating to his face.

Brian hesitated and glanced down at Lauren with a worried expression of his face. He didn't want to leave her but she nodded to him that she was ok. His hand lingered on the small of her back as he leaned in and kissed the top of her head,

"I'll be right here for when you come back," he promised.

He watched as she was escorted through a pair of heavy swing doors and only when they swung shut, barricading her from view, did he finally turn away. A young student nurse approached him and offered to clean the dried blood from his face and check that there was no damage. He agreed half-heartedly, hoping it might make the time go by faster.

**Until next time x x ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok so here's the final chapter of my little Bropez ficlet. I hope you guys liked it and don't be shy to message me with any prompts. Hope this is a satisfying ending. Thank you all for reading and I loved reading your reviews. x x x Enjoy x x x**

The nurse left to get some extra steri-strips for a shallow gash on his nose and Brian was left alone. He looked up on hearing the cubicle curtain being pulled back and felt his body tense as Joe stepped in awkwardly with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"How's Lo?"

"She's at X-ray," Brian responded monotonously.

Joe went to sit down on the bed but thought better of it and ended up just standing. He seemed unsure of what to say and for a few minutes they just stayed in an uncomfortable silence. Just as Brian opened his mouth the young nurse reappeared and handed him the box of steri strips,

"Would you like to wait in the waiting room while you wait for your girlfriend? She shouldn't be too much longer hopefully; x-ray is generally quiet enough at this hour," she addressed Brian with a sincere expression.

"Oh… she's not… we're not…she's not my girlfriend. But yes, thank you I'll wait there for her," he stuttered. The nurse had thought Lauren was his girlfriend. He felt a warm happy glow spread through him at the possibility. However thinking of Lauren made Brian reminded him that he would need to talk to Joe before anything else. It was the least he could do.

"Coming?" Brian directed at Joe as he stood up stretching.

"Sure."

They reached the quaint waiting room that looked like it hadn't been redecorated since the 80s. As Brian lowered himself into the nearest armchair he felt himself sink a couple or inches into the moth-eaten mouldy cushion. Joe stayed on stayed on his feet and paced back and forth slowly in front of Brian,

"Brian, how long were you and Lo seeing each other… in that way? Was it while we were still together?"

"What! No no no no no… no we aren't seeing each other like that, I mean we weren't! No, I…everything just happened tonight," Brian hastily informed Joe.

"Oh," Joe seemed slightly comforted by this fact and leaned back against the wall, "I didn't even know you thought of Lauren that way."

This was it, this was the moment that he must confess everything, "Actually I have kind of had a crush on her since we first met," Brian mumbled, diverting his eyes.

Joe's head whipped up and he looked at Brian in shock, "that long?"

Brian nodded. Joe didn't say anything for a few minutes and just stood there appearing deep in thought.

"Lauren thinks that you were just using her for sex when ye first started going out you know," Brian stated eventually, turning to face Joe.

"In a way I was," he admitted, "but then, then I started to fall for her. When I saw you guys kissing I over-reacted. She was the first meaningful relationship I ever had and I was just trying to hang on to it. Of course I realise now how unsuitable we are for one another…

... Be with her Brian, make her happy and don't make the same mistakes I did, as you can see I always just end up hurting her."

Brian was uncertain as to how to respond, however he was saved the trouble,

"Excuse me, sorry."

Brian and Joe turned their heads towards the voice from the door.

"Miss Lopez is finished in x-ray and is just being fitted for a cast. I can take you too her now if you like?"

Both Brian and Joe leaped up and immediately rushed after the young nurse who had supressed a small smile at their eagerness.

"Just through that door there," she pointed before leaving the two boys outside. Brian immediately put his hand on the door handle and entered. Lauren was sitting up on a bed with her plastered arm propped up on a crisp white pillow. Her face broke into a bright smile when she saw Brian. The doctor excused himself saying he was needed elsewhere and left, leaving them alone.

"How's the patient?" Brian asked light-heartedly and taking Lauren's good hand in his.

"Much better since they gave me some pain relief."

Joe coughed and Lauren suddenly noticed him standing there,

"Joe…"

"I'm sorry Lo… for everything. Not just tonight but for every thing I've ever done to hurt you. I didn't deserve you. I know you probably regret ever going out with me but for me it was one of the best decisions I ever made and I only hope that we can still be friends," Joe interrupted before she could say another word.

Lauren looked stunned before cracking a small smile,

"I don't regret any thing Joe and us not working out was a two-way thing, we weren't working as a couple but I know for sure we'll always work incredibly as friends."

Joe rushed over to her bed side and wrapped his arms around her,

"BFFs for life!" he joked, releasing her gently, "I better be getting back to the house so I let everyone know you're fine and what not. Julia has text me 47 times in the last hour so I'm guessing the woman is a bit anxious."

"Oh God I would not like to be facing Julia after ignoring that many texts. Good luck!" Lauren giggled.

"It's ok, I'll distract her by telling her all about your new boyfriend," Joe winked before slipped out the door chuckling quietly.

Lauren's eyes widened in disbelief and Brian gently put his hand on her face, making her look straight into his cobalt blue eyes,

"Think you can handle being my girlfriend?" He whispered.

Lauren responded by tilting her head up and kissing him softly,"I think so," she relied pulling away and giving him a cheeky smirk, "Do you wanna sign my cast?" she asked eagerly.

Brian smiled and took a black pen from the stand by the bed and bent over her cast with a concentrated expression on his face. Lauren's eyebrows crinkled in confusion before creasing into a warm smile,

"LL and BH," she sighed tracing her finger around the complete heart that framed their initials. Brian gazed at her and couldn't help feeling like this was all a dream. She was so beautiful and she was his... finally,

"You, Lauren Elizabeth Lopez will be forever engraved in my heart."

**So there it is, hope you liked it x x x**


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